Essay On 20th Century German Imperialism

During the start of the 20th century, there were many dangerous issues facing the world. Some of these issues included Domestic political factors with Germany, Imperialism, a web of alliances and nationalism. There were many factors that threatened the world during this time, but these are just a few issues that threatened global stability and they also contributed to the build up to World War I, which was the greatest issue and threat during this time period.
German conservatives were hesitant about war. They thought that losing a war would have been disastrous and even if they had won it might alienate the population if it went on for too long. “Germans are an original people because they are not bastardized by alien peoples”. German nationalist strove to see …show more content…
Nationalism of the various countries throughout Europe contributed not only to the beginning but also to the extension of war in Europe. Each country tried to prove their dominance and power. “Nationalism’s central doctrines claimed that nations should match states: Nations should have their own states, and states should have their own nations”. These claims encouraged people that share the same religious, cultural and historical ties that didn’t belong to a sate should have their own states. This program is called bottom-up nationalism. Top- down nationalism claimed that loyalty to the nation should override loyalties of religion, locality, friendship, and kinship. Top-down and bottom-up nationalism struggled with each other but they also fed off each other. Top- down gained ground, but bottom-up nationalism grew more vociferous. People believed that their nations and governments were right and that their military could win any conflict, little was done to reduce the chance of war. Instead, each country tried to prove their power and dominance. The provocative commentaries from royals, Politicians and diplomats made the pubic appetite for war grow even